WASHINGTON, DC -- Representatives of the Marijuana Policy Project, whose efforts have led to passage of the U.S.'s three newest medical marijuana laws, are available for comment regarding the Food and Drug Administration's controversial statement condemning medical marijuana. To arrange interviews, contact MPP Director of Communications Bruce Mirken at 415-668-6403 (office) or 202-215-4205 (cell).

"Sadly, this statement proves how completely politicized the FDA has become," said MPP Director of Government Relations Aaron Houston. "It completely ignores 5,000 years of accumulated evidence of marijuana's therapeutic value, evidence that's been acknowledged by dozens of medical organizations, including the American Public Health Association, the American Academy of HIV Medicine, and the Institute of Medicine, in a report commissioned by the White House. The statement also baldly misstates the nature and purpose of state medical marijuana laws. This statement adds nothing to our knowledge of medical marijuana, but tells us a great deal about the decline of the FDA as an independent scientific agency."

In its 1999 report, "Marijuana and Medicine: Assessing the Science Base," the Institute of Medicine stated, "Nausea, appetite loss, pain, and anxiety. all can be mitigated by marijuana."

With more than 20,000 members and 100,000 e-mail subscribers nationwide, the Marijuana Policy Project is the largest marijuana policy reform organization in the United States. MPP believes that the best way to minimize the harm associated with marijuana is to regulate marijuana in a manner similar to alcohol. For more information, please visit http://MarijuanaPolicy.org.